Method of printing and making printing-forms.



' No. 662.853. Patented 'Nov. 27, 1900..

E. HETT.

METHOD OF PRINTING AND MAKING PRINTING FORMS.

(Application filed Nov. 20, 1899.)

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I No. 662,853. PaIentad'Nnv. 27, I900.

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METHOD OF. PRINTING AND MAKING PRINTING FORMS.

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llIl/ll ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 27,1900. E. HETT.

METHOD OF PRINTING AND MAKING PRINTING FORMS.

(Applicationffllod Nov. 20, 1899.)

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METHOD OF PRINTING AND MAKING PRINTING FORMS.

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INVENTOR WITNESSES:

No. 662,853. Patented Nov. 27, I900. E. HETT. METHOD OF PRINTING AND MAKING PRINTING FORMS.

(Application filed Nov. 20, 1899.)

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Unrrsn S ra'rns PATENT @rtrci EDWARD HETT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

METHOD OF PRlNTlNG AND MAKING PRINTING FORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 662,853, dated November 2'7, 1900.

Application filed November 20, 1899. Serial No. 737,649. \NO model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD HETT, a citizen of theUnited States, and a resident of New York, (NewDorp,) in the county of Richmond and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Printing and Making Printing-Forms, of which the following is a specification.

Heretofore in the practical art of typographic or relief printing it has been found necessary to resort to what is known as making ready in order to secure a clear and uniform impression upon paper or similar material in the printing and an impression such as will faithfully and artistically reproduce the design in print on the paper in all its parts and details and all in their true relative values. The aggregate amount of time and of skilled labor spent in this process of making ready is enormous, and the graphic or reliefplate printing is large. Nevertheless it is accepted as an inevitable incident of the practical art. Making ready includes the operations of under-laying and overlaying, the former being used to cure gross defects or irregularities in the printing-surface by applying pieces of paper or cardboard or other material to the back of the form, and the latter being used to overcome the minor defects or irregularities in the printing-surface by building up the impression-surface. The materials applied to the back ofv the form and to the impressionsurface are know 11 as underlays and overlays, respectively, and they are both referred to generally as make-ready.

The necessity for make-ready arises partly from irregularities and unevennesses and lack of uniformity in the printing-surface or of the printing-forms, referring not alone to gross irregularities, but also to those line and universally heretofore been made up itis impercentage. of cost which it adds to typo-;

possible to get the various parts of the printing-surface sonaccurately and exactly into the same printing-plane or type-high, as it is called, that clear and clean and true impressions can be printed without resorting to the process of make-ready, and when such forms are reproduced in electrotype-plates or in stereotype-plates the original evil is not corrected, but is made worse by the necessary incidents of the respective reproduction processes, so that making ready is more than ever necessary.

The necessity for make-ready dloes not arise alone from actual variations in the plane of the printing-surface, but from variations and irregularities and lack of uniformity in the supports for the various parts of the printing-surface Imperfections in printingforms of the latter class are much more subtle,

and therefore more difficult to remedy, than the former class.

When original forms include cuts or engravings or stereotype or electrotype or halftone plates, these plates are universally mounted on wooden blocks orskeleton metal bases, which in their nature yield or spring, some more and some less and always more than the type, under the heavy pressures required to obtain clear and artistic impressions, or when forms or parts of them, as pages or cuts or engravings,are stereotyped or electrotyped or otherwise reproduced and the stereotype or electrotype or other relief-plate, whether curved or flat, is mounted for printing it does not accurately fit and contact with the support at all parts. This is true Whether the plate is mounted on a base to make it typehigh in a form or on the bed or cylinder or other support in a printing-machine specially constructed to receive it. Being thus imperfectly supported various parts of the plate Will yield and spring or buckle when in contact with its impression-s11 rface. This yielding or springing of the various parts of the printing-surface not only necessitates the operations of make-ready, but it makes those operations very uncertain and empirical and is one of the greatest of the many difficulties connected with this class of printing which requires the employment of a high order of skilled labor. This is more apparent when it is noted that it is essential that all parts of the printing-surface be in exactly the same plane when it is being charged with ink in order that it may be evenly and properly inked. If one part of the printing-surface is elevated even slightly above the surrounding portions, it not only receives too much ink, but it takes the pressure of the inking-surfaces, which must be soft and yielding, off from the adjacent portions of the printingsurface, so that they do not get their full supply of ink.

Where it has been attempted to print typographically by using a thin zinc sheet having a relief printing-s11 rface formed on it by etching with acid or otherwise and stretched upon a support in the press, the evils above pointed out exist for the reason that it is practically impossible to cause the sheet to lie flat upon its support Without wrinkling or buckling.

Thespring or yielding of the forms,whether caused by the yielding of a base or the springing of a plate, renders it impossible to keep the printing-surface of the forms in a true. plane at all times. If a true plane is attained when the inking rollers or surfaces are performing their function, the printing-surface ,will not be in a true plane at other times and when the impression is being taken. When the impression is made by rolling contact between the printing and impression surfaces, as in bed-and-cylinder or rotary machines, imperfections in the planes of these surfaces are very detrimental to the printin The parts of one surface which are farthest from the center of rotation come in contact with the parts of the other surface which are nearest the center of rotation. This results in a tendency of the surfaces to slip upon each other during the impression. This slippage, which is known in the art as slurring, when it actually occurs causes a blurring of the impression and of course is prohibitive of good printing. To overcome this tendency of the surfaces to slip, the printing and impression members are usually directly and strongly geared together, and they are universally provided outside the printing and impression surfaces with broad substantial friction-surfaces known as bearers, which are constructed and adjusted to lie as nearly as possible in the plane of the printing and impression surfaces. In order to render these bearers effective to prevent the slipping referred to, it is necessary to apply a heavy pressure to them, which pressure is often as great or greater than the pressure necessary to produce a good impression. Presses therefore have to be built not only to stand the heavy printing pressure required in this class of printin but to take the additional strains caused by the heavy pressures of the bearersurfaces. In multicolor-printing presses it is desirable that the paper or other material receiving a multicolor design be held on the same impression-surface during the entire series of impressions in order that the series of colors may be applied with certainty in accurate register. This method of m ulticolorprinting has been impossible heretofore, however, in fine relief-printing, since a separate impression-surface is required for each printing-surface on account of the overlaying necessary to secure good impressions from each printing-surface. As it is practically impossible to transfer paper in web form from one impression-surface to another and secure accurate register, all fine multicolor relief-printing has therefore been executed upon paper in sheet form and by separate successive operations at great labor and expense and with only indifferent results as to register.

In lithography the evils referred to do not exist and clear and accurate printing in true values is readily achieved without makeready and for the reason that the printing is done by a planographic surface, all parts of which, the non-printing as well as the printing portions, lie normally in one and the same plane-to wit, the printing-plane-and the surface therefore readily lends itself to accurate and exact truing, insuring equality of printing pressure at printing portions of the surface and insuring equality of making contact, which results are also contributed to by the circumstance that the planes of the printing-surface do not fall away between the printing portions.

Although the planographic printing-surface readily lends itself to accurate and exact truing, in practice it is not so accurately trued as to insure equality of printing pressure at the printing portions without the employment of some agency which is adapted to com pensate for slight defects in the plane of the surface. .These defects are recognized in the lithographic art and are accepted as inevitable. Provision is made to compensate for them in the thick soft impression-blanket which is universally used in planographic machines. The use of such impression-surfaces is permissible in lithographic presses by reason of the uniform nature of the planographic surface. The non-printing portions of the printing-surface being in the same plane as the printing portions act to support the pressure of the soft blanket at the nonprinting portions of the surface and prevent the sidewise yielding or slipping of the impression-surface at the edges of the designcarrying portions of the printing surface which would otherwise occur and which is fatal to good work in relief-printing. By reason of this universal support of the impression-blah ket afforded by the planographic surface heavy pressures can be and are used, such as are necessary to force the blanket into and make it conform with the irregularities of the surface and exert sufficient pressure at the lowest port-ions thereof to produce a perfect impression. Such impressionsurfaces would be utterly useless in typographic or relief-plate printing. Typographic or relief plate printing on paper or similar material requires a sharp pressure-contact ceases between the printing and impression surfaces without indentation or sidewise yielding or slipping, and so requires a relatively hard impression-surface having the capacity of yielding only in the direct line of the pressure.

In Wall-paper printing the evils practically do not exist, for the reasons, among others, that practically all the printing-surfaces are intaglio, and therefore have the advantages possessed by planographic surfaces, that the pressures employed are relatively light, the designs are large and coarse, the colors employed are thin and watery and are readily transferred by mere contact, and the matter of values is largely immaterial. Moreover, impression-blankets are employed that are thick and soft and yielding, ordinarilyof very soft felt. Any irregularities or unevennesses in the printing-surface, even such as are gross in extent, would be wholly obliterated and swallowed up by such an im pression-blanket, so far as concerns any effect in the printing that would be at all noticeable or material in walhpaper printing. Such impression surfaces would be utterly useless in typographic or relief-plate printing. Typographic or relief-plate printing on paper or similar material requires a sharp pressure-contact between the printing and impression surfaces without indentation or sidewise yielding or slipping, and so requires a relatively hard impression -surface having the capacity of yielding only in the direct line of the pressure.

Calico-p rin ting is very similar to Wall-paper printing, and the evils referred to do not exist, and for the same-reason and for the further reason that irregularities and unevennesses in the fabric which is being printed on are so much greater than those in the printing-surface that the accommodations for the former swallow up the latter.

In comparison with these contrasted arts the designs employed in typographic or relief-plate printing are relatively microscop ically delicate and fine and develop and pro ceed upon and demand variations of values in the printed impression such as are not required in wall-paper or calico printing, the impression surface is relatively hard, the printing pressures involved are greater, the printing-contact is sharper and more severe, and the delicate and almost imperceptible imperfections of the printing-surface, which are negligible and practically unnoticed and unknown in those arts, become intolerable in typographic or relief-plate printing until corrected by making ready.

Many inventions have been made to perfeet and simplify and cheapen the process of making ready, and impression-blankets have been devised to automatically adjust the impressionsurface to the imperfections of the prinling-surfacein the act of printing. These inventions, like the process of making ready itself, all accept the evils of the imperfect and uneven printing-surface of the printing form and endeavor to cure it by building up empirically or otherwise, manually or auto matically, a matching imperfection in reverse in the face of the impression member.

The present invention seeks to remove the evils themselves, and to that end it has for its object to so construct the typographic or relief printing-surface and the printing portions thereof that because of its inherent character, with uniform inking and a uniform and uniformly-resisiant impression-surface having a hard face, such as is suitable for typographic printing, a sharp, clear, and perfect impression will be made Without underlaying and without overlaying and with less pressure than is required when makeready is employed, and so with less Wear upon the printing-surface and machinery.

In carrying out the invention the entire surface of the printing-form is primarily constructed type-high, as well the non-printing portions as the printing portions, and While in this stage of its preparation advantage is taken of the opportunity to shape and form and size and finish the surface prior to the application of the design to it with an accuracy and certainty impossible in any but a plane or planographic surface, and in this Way every minute part and portion of the surface is brought with practical perfection to the printing-plane or typehigh in the exact shape and form and size required for the printing-form in the press, adapting the form at that preliminary stage of its manufacture to cooperate with the corresponding parts of the press. Having thus attained (for every minute area of the surface) the accuracy of printing-plane required, I proceed by any accurate and reliable means to etch out or cut out or otherwise remove all those portions of the surface which are to be non-printing portions, but in such way as not to alter or change or affect the plane of any of the remaining or printing portions of the surface. I then ink the printing-surface with forminking rollers having even and uniform surfaces and print by compressing the paper sharply and with the necessary pressure between such printing-surfaces and an impression device whose surface is relatively hard compared with the impression member in planographic wallpaper or calico printing, being such as is suitable for typographic printing'and which is at all points of its surface uniformly plane and uniformly yielding and resistant. Where the form is made re movable and of a material sufficiently thin to yield under the pressures of printing, it is constructed to accurately fit its support, so that the printing-surface will be firmly and uniformly supported at every part in the press. In its best embodiment the form is made curved and circuznferentially continu- Oils and tubular. 'lhe printing-surface is substantially integral with and removable from and renewable upon a permanent base, and the base is removably supported upon a IIO cylindrical support having a practically continuous supportingsurface, and the best results are obtained when the exterior of the support is slightly tapered and the interior of the tubular form is correspondingly tapered. In this way a practically perfect printing-surface solidly and uniformly supported at every part is obtained, which in connection with a proper impression-surface will produce clear and uniform and perfect typographic or relief-plate printing in true values without make-ready. By my invention, therefore, multicolor relief-printing of the finest quality may be performed on paper of similar material in sheet or web form and the various colors applied in approximately instantaneous succession and in perfect register without the waste and expense incident to repeated handlings of the paper. To that end I preferably employ a series of my improved printing-surfaces arranged around an impression-drum provided with a sufficiently hard and uniform yielding and resist-ant impression-surface preferably continuous and adapted to carry a web of paper or similarmaterial successively into contact with each printing-surface in approximately instantaneous succession. In the best form of my invention also the series of printing-surfaces used in any particular job of printing are of the same size and shape and are removable from their supports and may be replaced thereon interchangeably and always with the same identical relation to each other in the press. I may, however, arrange a series of curved or fiat printing-forms upon a drum or other device provided with a series of supports to receive them and bring them successively into contact with one or more impression-surfaces,each of which carries the paper or other material to be printed successively into contact with the series of forms, the paper not being removed from the impression-surface until all the colors desired have been applied.

My invention consists, therefore, not alone in the methods of preparing and printing from the printing-surface above described, but also in other features hereinafter set out and claimed, involving, among other things, the methods of preparing and printing from such a printing-surface when its printing-face is curved and cireumferentially continuous and removable and replaceable upon a permanent base; also, when such printing-form is hollow and tubular and removably mounted upon a support and interiorly tapered and removably mounted on an exterior tapered support; also,when such a printing-form comprises a strengthening-base and an outer sur face or coating; also,when the characteristics of the surface as to size and shape are determined by those of the base; also, whenlthe coating is substantially integral with the base and removable and replaceable thereon without destroying the base; also, when a series of such printing-surfaces are employed in multicolor-printing in approximately instan taneous succession; also, when for this purpose a series of identically shaped and sized printing-surfaces are employed; also,when a common impression-surface or a central impression-drum of the character described is combined with a series of such printing-surfaces.

The accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, show apparatus well adapted to carry out certain of the steps of my improved process.

Figure 1 is a vertical section of a multicolor typographic printing-press arranged to print on the web and to print eight different colors in approximately instantaneous succession. Fig. 1 is a broken sectional view, on an enlarged scale, illustrating a detail. Figs. 2, 3, and 4: are detail views, on a larger scale, of the typographic or relief printing-surface. Fig. 5 is a vertical section of a multicolor typographic printing-press arranged to print upon paper in sheet form. Figs. 6 and 7 are detail views of features of the press shown in Fig. 5, and Fig. 8 is a vertical section of a modified form of the sheet-press.

Like numerals in the several figures indicate like parts.

Referring now to Fig. 1, which illustrates the preferred form of apparatus for carrying out my methods of printing and multicolorprinting, 10 is the main frame of the machine. ll is a central impression-drum, which is driven in any suitable way from the main source of power and drives all the other parts of the machine positively with it. 12 represents the printing-surfaces, a series of eight of which are shown as arranged upon the impression-face of the drum. They are all driven positively with the drum. They will be described more in detail hereinafter. There are aseries ofinking mechanisms-13,0ne fullset of inking mechanism for each printing-surface, the ink being applied to each printing-surface in each case by a group of uniformly-surfaced planographic form-inking rollers. The details of this inking mechanism form no part of my present invention, and they are therefore not described here. It is enough to say that each inking mechanism includes an ink supply or fountain 30, a ductor-roller 31, a series of ink-distributing or ink-transferring rollers 32, and finally four form-inking rollers 33, having uniform surfaces adapted to bear upon the printing-surface and to suitably ink that surface. Each inking mechanism is mounted upon a swinging frame 34c and is thereby capable of being adjusted toward and from the printing-surface and of being swung up wholly out of the way of the printing-surface when it is desired to remove the latter from the press.

14 is the-paper-roll carried 011 the proper supporting parts of the press and supplying paper to the press in the web. The rollers 15 are suitable guiding-rollers for guiding the paper Web 16 to the impression-drum of IIS the press. 17 is a suitable guiding and dclivering and cuttii'ig mechanism for guiding the paper web as it is delivered from the press and cutting it into sheets. The details of these mechanisms form no part of the present invention and need not be here described.

The printing-surfaces, of which a series of eight are shown in the drawings, are arranged in a machine organized for multicohir-printing about the impression-face of the central drum and are suitably mounted concentrically with the drum and are adjustable to Ward and from the drum, by which the printing-pressure can be controlled. The printingsurfaces are preferably positively geared with and driven from the drum. The printing-surfaces on their supports are also preferably provided with friction or bearer surfaces 35, one at each end, which cooperate with similar surfaces 36 arranged at the ends of the impression-drum, the surface of the bearers for each member of the printing-couple being located accurately in the plane of the respective printing and impression surfaces. These bearers are similar to those universally provided in machines for printing from relief-surfaces and maybe of any usual construction. As used in connection with my improved printing-s11 rface, however, the bearers do not have the same or as important functions as when used in connection with ordina y relief-surfaces. The primary object of their use in my machine is to take up the spring of the parts, and thereby maintain a uniform pressure per unit of the printing area of the printing'surface at all times, the same when a light or open part of the design is in contact with the impressionsurface as when a heavier or darker part is being printed from. For this reason they do not need to be made as heavy and substantial as heretofore. In Fig. l is illustrated the preferred form of bearer used in connection with the press shown in Fig. 1. In this construction the bearers 35 for the printingsurface are formed integrally with the print.- ing-surface, the ends of the tube or other surface being for this purpose protected from the acids in the etching-bath. Thus new bearers are secured for each new printingsurface, and it is insured without measurement or adjustment that they will be exactly in the plane of the printing-surface, which is a very important advantage in that all possibility of creeping or slurring, as it is called, of the printing and impression surfaces due to the printingsurface not being in the plane of the bearer-surfaces is avoided.

The impression device of my invention is one which has the hard surface that is suitable for and is required in typographic-printing and which surface is uniformly level and uniformly yielding and resistant at all points which contact through the paper with the printing-form and in my preferred form of press is continuous and in the form of a drum and a large central drum surrounded on its impression-face with a series of print tug-surfaces, hereinafter described. This uniformly level and uniformly yielding and resistant typographic impression-surface may be attained in a number of ways, the details of which form no part of the present invention. For example, the im pression-surface may consist of an iron-faced cylinder, the iron. face of which is turned true and finished accurately. On this is wrapped a single thickness of pressbeard, and on the press-board a single thickness of suitable Manila paper. Other ways of making the lIHIJI'GSSiOU'SIH'fkLOG may be employed. It is essential that the surface shall be suitable for typographic printing, and as compared with theimpression-surfaces used in other classes of printing have the relatively hard but yielding character of the ordinary impression-surfaces used in the typographic art. It is also essential that the surface shall be uniformly level throughout and uniformly yielding and resistant throughout in order to cooperate with the improved typographic printing-surfaces in doing away with the necessity of make-ready. The printing-surfaces are of a peculiar construction, resulting from the fact that they are prepared in a peculiar way. The printing-surface is primarily a planographic surface, prepared as if for planographic or lithographic printingthat is to say, every part and portion of its sur face that is to act as a printing-surface is originally full type-high. While the surface is in this stage of its preparation and before the design is applied to it, I painstakingly shape and form and size and proportion it and finish and level its surface in every minute portion to the shape and form and size and printing height and plane required in the press, thereby at this stage in its manufacture adapting it accurately and exactly to its seat in the press and to cooperate there with the proper cooperating parts of the press in printing. This preparation must be very accurately executed, more so than is required when the surface is to be used forplanographic-printing. The accurate sizing and shaping of the tube may be accomplished in any suitable Way. I have devised and hereinafter describe several methods by which it may be satisfactorily done. I then in any suitable manner etch out or remove the non-- printing portions of the surface, so as to sink them to sufficiently lower levels, but in such way as not to change or alter or affect the previously attained common and uniform printing-plane of all the printing portions of the surface. Where desirable, the process tions of the surface.

IIO

non-printing portions are integralthat is, permanently united together, but occupy different planes.

One method of producinga uniformly plane and even surface adapted to bedeveloped into a relief printing-surface in accordance with my invention is to first provide a base preferably adapted to thereafter become a permanent part of my apparatus. To that end I painstakingly shape and form and size a suitable piece of material, preferably metal, and hard metal, as iron or copper, and finish and level its surface in every minute portion to the shape and form and size which will adapt it, when provided with a printing surface or coating, to cooperate with the other parts of the press in printing. Where the base is made of thin material, such as would yield or spring under the pressure required in printing, it is also constructed to so accurately fit its support in the machine that it will be substantially and uniformly supported at all parts during the printing operation. In any event it is constructed to removably and replaceably and accurately fit its seat in the machine. I then apply to the surface of the base by any suitable means, preferably by the electrodeposition of a metal, a uniformly thick even layer or coating of material adapted to become a relief printing-surface, and where the base is to become a permanent part of the apparatus the coating is adapted to be removed and replaced upon the base without changing or destroying the surface of the base. By this method a uniformly plane and even surface of the required 'size and proportions is obtained, the described characteristics of the surface being attained through and fixed by those of the permanent base. When the coating has been made into a printing-surface and printed from as desired, it may be removed from the permanent base in any suitable way, either by mechanical means or by chemical means or by both, care being taken not to disturb or destroy the surface of the base, and then a new coating may be applied to the base, and if applied under the same conditions as the former coating the new one will be of the same shape and dimensions as the former one, its characteristicsin any event being fixed by those of the permanent base. This method of securing a blank printing-form is made the subject-matter of claims herein. Another method of forming the blank or plane surface is to cast the printing-form of any suitable material in a mold having a surface painstakingly shaped and proportioned to give the required plane and even surface to the form and adapt it to cooperate with the other parts of the press. When this method is adopted, I preferably cast a layer of metal under pressure onto a permanent base. For both of these methods of construction of a blank form I have applications now pending, and especially Serial No. 735,446, filed November 1, 1899, and Serial No. 701,196, filed January 5, 1899. My invention is not limited, however,

to either of these methods of construction, as the original plane surface of my form may be made in other ways. For example, it maybe turned or planed or ground or rolled in a suitablelathe or other machine, or where it is in tubular form it may be drawn, or an outer shell may be drawn or shrunk onto an inner strengthening-shell. After the use of any one of the composite printing-surfaces above described for the printing of a full edition the surface layer may be removed in any suitable way, as by powerful acids or by cutting the same down or turning it down in a lathe, and a new surface layer firmly applied for the next printing job. Whenever a cast or drawn tube or a tube formed from a rolled sheet is used after the printing has been completed, the metal is melted down to be reused in forming new tubes. By most of these methods a cheap typographic or relief plate is quickly obtained thatis, nevertheless, accurate and successful in the printing without make-ready.

In practice I prefer to make the surface of my forms of metal, zinc being the most suitable, and where a coating is applied to a permanent base I prefer to apply the coating byelectrodeposition and to make the base of a different material and preferably of a different color from the coating. Forv instance, where zinc is employed for the coating the base may be made of copper or of iron or steel coated with copper or copper or iron coated with gold or similar non-corrosible metal. The coating also may consist of two or more layers of the same or different materials, as of successive layers of electrodeposited copper and zinc or nickel. This composite form of coating is desirable where a coating of considerable thickness is required.

The printing surface I prefer to make curved as to its printing-face, and when intended for use in my preferred form of press is preferably circumferentially continuous, as shown in Figs. 1 to at, inclusive. As shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4, the printing-surface is curved and circumferentially continuous and cylindrical and consists of an interior support 21, which is suitably mounted on the shaf t,and an exterior composite-printing-tube that is removable from and replaceable on the interior support and that consists of an inner strengthening shellas, say, of copper- (shown at 22 in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4,) and an outer surface layer preferably of a different material, as zinc, integrally united to the strengthening-shell shown at 23. This outer surface of the printing-tube may be of any suitable material to receive as a transfer the design or picture or letter-press that is to be printed and to receive it, for example, after the manner of transferring in lithography. The surface may then be developed into a typographic or relief printing-surface, as by deep etching by the use of acids in the manner known to those skilled in the art. As is common in such developing, portions of the surface not occupied by the design or parts loo of it may be mechanically routed out in a routing-machine. Thephysical result of this development of the planographic surface into a typographic or relief printing-surface is roughly indicated in Figs. 1 and t. The effects are of course but crudely shown in the drawings. Where a permanent base is used, the development of the printing surface should not he carried beyond the outer layer or coating, so as to injure or destroy the surface of the base. The characteristic of the typographic or relief plate when so developed, however, is that the points and lines and areas of the surface which are to carry ink and so to printlie allof them exactlyand accurately in the plane of the original planegraphic surface, or substantially so, in consequence of which fact and the uniformly yielding and resistant character of the impression-surface the printing which I achieve is at once uniform and even and of a fine quality and does not require underlaying or make-ready any more than does lithographic printing anddoes not require the degree of pressure to accomplish an even and full and uniform printing that is ordinarily required for typographic or relief plate printing. Figs. 2 and 3 are perspective views of the composite printing-tube shown in section in Fig.4,but removed from its interior support. Fig. 3 shows the tube after its surface has been accurately prepared as a planographic surface, but before the design has been applied to it. Fig. 2 shows the same tube afterthe design has been applied to it and after the non-printing parts of the surface have been etched out or removed. Fig. 4 is supposed to represent a section through Fig. 2 so far as concerns the composite printing-tube.

I prefer to employ a series of printing-snrfaces such as I have described, and in a retary m ulticolor-press such as is shown in the drawings. In such case the series of original blank printing-surfaces must be for the purposes of register of predetermined relative shape and size and preferably are identical in shape and size and surface character and adapted to receive a series of related transfers of registering designs, each surface printing ordinarily a different color. In transferring these registering designs in an accurate and related manner to such a series of identical printing-surfaces recourse may be had to the improved methods devised by me and for which applications are now pending, and especially Serial No. 703,082, filed January 23, 1899, which application is made a part hereto. This predetermined relative shape and size of a series of printing-surfaces intended to cooperate in printing a multicolor design is readily and reliably attained by the method of constructing the printing-forms first described herein, since a suitable number of bases of predetermined relative size and shape having been once attained any number of printing-forms or any number of successive series of printing-forms of predetermined relative shape and size may be obtained quickly and cheaply and without fine and difficult measurements. This is done by applyinga coating of predetermined thickness to a series of bases of predetermined shape and dimensions, the thickness of the coating being readily determined by the character of treatment in the electrolytic bath, all as more fully described in my prior pending application, Serial No. 735,446, before referred to. While it is desirable to have a cooperative series of forms of the same predetermined shape and dimensions and interchangeable in the press, as by this construction mistakes and confusion are avoided, such construction is not essential, as perfect register might be attained with forms of different relative sizes.

For instance, one form might be twice or any multiple of the size of another, or, if a series of identical designs are arranged circumferentially on a form, another form might have a circumferential extent equal to one of these designs or any multiple of one of them, all as more fully described in my application, Serial No. 735,446, referred to.

When a series of printing-surfaces are pro vided with a series of designs accurately applied in a related manner in accordance with my improved methods referred to, it is desirable that the printing-surfaces should have accurate preestablished seats in the press, whereby their position in the press with relation to each other and to the other cooperating parts of the press may be accurately determined both longitudinally and circumferentially and at once without measurements orempirical adjustments. In my preferred form of machine the position of the printing-tubes is fixed circumferentially by the ribs 22 on the inner side thereof, which fit in corresponding grooves in the form-support, a marked rib in a marked groove, and longitudinally by the adjustably fixed stop shoulder or collar 21, screwed upon one end of the supportirig-cylinder 21. The supporting-cylinder is removably and adjustably fixed. on the shaft 21, which shaft is removably supported in a predetermined position in the machine. WVhile I prefer to make the printing-tubes integral throughout, itis manifest that my invention would be embodiedin printing-surfaces made up of sections, and especially longitudinal sections successively placed upon a suitable support, as indicated in Fig. 8.

When used in the form of machine which prints upon a continuous web of paper, I prefer to make my printingsnrface circumferentially continuous, and my invention renders that type of printing-surface available for relief or typographic printing, and great advantages are gained thereby and in having the Whole surface-space of the printing device available for use in arranging the design or designs upon it as well as in the printing operation itself, differing in this respect from the ordinary rotary press now IIO ' position of all the forms alike.

in use for relief or typographic printing, where sectional forms have to be wedged or clamped in place or flexible sheets have to be bent or clamped in place, which prevents printing being done where the wedges or clamps are located and renders register uncertain and accuratelyuniform type height unattain able, and greatly limits and hampers the character of design that can be printed by the printing-surface as a whole and the amount that can be done and the quantity of paper required where the printing is on the web, and generally the economy and perfection of the printing.

In Figs. 5, 6, and 7 I have illustrated a second form of press adapted to carry out my -methods of multicolor printing, this form of machine being particularly designed to print multicolor designs upon paper or similar material when in sheet form. Referring 110w to these figures, A represents the main frame, and B a large drum or cylinder mounted on its shaft S, carrying a series of printing-forms F, one for each of the series of colors that the machine is designed to print at one operation. of these forms, and in carrying out my preferred method these forms are identical in shape and size and are removably and replaceably supported in preestablished seats upon the supporting-cylinder. These seats may be formed by any suitable form of guiding means, those illustrated consisting of a shoulder or stop Z), which extends completely around the supporting-drum and is adj ustably connected thereto, as shown, and forms a common guide for fixing the longitudinal The trans verse or circumferential position of the forms is adjustably fixed by set-screws 0, carried by lugs 6], arranged transversely of the drum between the forms, as shown. One set of these guide-screws for each form having been once fixed is thereafter permanently main tained in its adjusted position, thereby constituting one member of a preestablished seat, the other guiding member of which is formed by the stop or shoulder Z). In order to securely hold a form in its seat, the setscrews opposite the fixed ones are set up against the opposite side of the form, and a screw-operated sliding clamp c is provided to hold the form against the shoulder Z). The shoulder 12 and the clamps e are undercut, as shown, for the purpose of insuring that the forms will lie snugly and with whole surface contact upon their supports. It will be noted that the series of seats for the forms upon the supporting-drum B constitute a series of form-supports having a fixed preestablished relation to each other and to the cooperating parts of the press. 1 represents an impression-cylinder preferably constructed to cooperate with each form in succession, and to that end is in the machine shown made one-fourth the diameter of the form-cylinder and is provided with an impression- In the machine shown there are foursurface preferably of the character hereinbefore described and equal in extent to the surface area of the forms. This cylinder is preferably provided with a set of grippers i, such as are ordinarily employed in sheetc-arrying cylinders. These grippers are operated by any usual form of operating means employed in machines having multi-revolution impression-cylinders, it being only necessary to state that they should be such as to operate the grippers to receive and deliver a sheet only after the desired number of colors have been applied thereto. Usually this operation would take place only at each complete revolution of the form-cylinder; but it is manifest that it might take place in the machine shown at every one-half revolution or at every one-fourth revolution if it were desired to print in two colors or one color. In this form of press the bearersf for the printing member may be formed directly on the forms, as before described and as shown in Fig. 6, and the bearersj for the impression member may be formed as shown in Fig. 3, or they may consist of extensions of the impression-surface t itself, as shown in Fig. 12. The impression-cylinder is preferably geared to the form-cylinder by a gear 70, fixed on shaft K, which gear meshes with a gears, carried by the shaft S of the formcylinder. A feed-board G and a delivery mechanism D are associated with the impression-cylinder I in the usual way, as shown. A series of inking mechanisms M are provided one for each form. These inking mechanisms must be arranged to cooperate each with a particular form, and to this end they are independently and slidably mounted in the frame of the machine, as shown. The impression-cylinder may be duplicated at the other end of the machine, as shown at I, care being taken to select the proper arrangements of feed and delivery devices to properly supply the sheets to and receive them from the impression-cylinder when thus arranged, such forms of those devices being indicated at G and D, respectively. When the impression-cylinder is duplicated, the,

inking mechanism must be correspondingly duplicated, as shown, in order that a fresh supply of ink may be applied to each form for each printing operation. The machine maybe driven in any suitable way, as by gear- U, carried by the shaft S of the form-cylinden In Fig. 8 I have illustrated a second form of machine adapted to print a multicolored design upon paper or similar material in sheet form. In this machine two form-carriers B B are provided, each carrying a series of forms F, all of which are adapted to cooperate with a single impression-cylinder I The forms are the same in construction as those used in the form of machine shown in Figs. 5, 6, and 7 and previously described, and the forms are seated and held upon their supports in the same way. A separate inking mechanism M is provided for each form, and

IIO

eeasss these are mounted and operated in the same way and by the same means shown and described in connection with the first form of sheet-press.

It is obvious that a single printing-surface may be used in either form of machine disclosed or in a machine specially constructed to print with one printing-surface, and most of the advantages myinvention specifies will be of avail in such a machine. Great advantages even in multicolor printing may be secured when a single printing-surface is used. For instance, where a base of predetermined size is used it may be provided with acoat ing of predetermined thickness, the coating then developed into a printing-surface, (and so far as this feature of my invention is concerned it is immaterial into what form of surface the coating is developed, whether into relief, intaglio, or planographic,) the desired edition or job printed therefrom in the press, a second coating of the same predetermined thickness as the former one applied to the base, the second coating developed into a printing-surface of the character desired, and a second color or design printed upon the edition or job printed by the previous surface, and so on for all the colors desired in a design. By this method accurate register of the succeeding designs is reliably attained without fine and difficult measurement. Multicolor printing by this method is further facilitated by the additional steps of providing a preestablished seat in the machine for the printingsurface and transferring the designs to the successive printing-surfaces by my improved method hereinbcfore referred to.

Manifestly a part of the series of printingsurfaces in either form of press might be de veloped into planographic printing-surfaces without departing from my invention, the printing-surfaces of one character registering in the printing with the printing-surfaces of the other character as well as with one another. In such case the planographic printing-surfaces would require dampening mechanisms in the printing-press.

I do not herein claim the apparatus or mechanism herein shown and described, as they form the subject-matter of another applica tion filed simultaneously herewith.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The improvement in the art of fine typographic or relief printing, which consists in constructing a blank surface by accurately shaping and sizing and finishing it to the exact shape and size and finish desired in the priuting-surface, etching out or otherwise suitably removing or working down to lower planes or levels the non-printing portions of the blank surface without aifecting the plane of the printing portions, whereby is attained an accuratelyaud uniformly type-high printingform; inking such printing-form in the printing-press with uniform inking-surfaces; and printing from such form upon paper or similar material by compressing the paper be tween such printing-surface and an impression device having a hard surface such as is suitable for typographic printing and which surface is uniform and uniformly yielding and resistant at all points, whereby clear and uniform and artistic typographic or relief printing may be achieved without makeready and with reduced pressure.

2. The improvement in the art of line typographic or relief printing, which consists in constructing a on rvcd ci rcumferentially-continuous blank surface by accurately shaping and sizing and finishing it to the exact shape and size and finish desired in the printingsurface, etching out or otherwise suitably removing or working down to lower planes or lev' els the non-printing portions of the blank surface without affecting the plane of the printing portions, whereby is attained an accurately and uniformly type-high printing-form; inking such printing-form in the printing-press with uniform inking-surfaces; and printing from such form upon paper or similar material by compressing the paper between such printing-surface and an impression device having a hard surface such as is suitable for typographic printing and which surface is uniform and uniformly yielding and resistant at all points, whereby clear and uniform and artistic typographic or relief printing may be achieved without make-ready and with re duced pressure.

8. The improvement in the art of fine typographic or relief printing, which consists in constructing a blank surface by accurately shaping and sizing and finishing it to the exact shape and size and finish desired in the printing'surface, accurately shaping and sizing and finishing the back of the form to the exact shape and size of the form-support in a ainting-press, etching out or otherwise suitably removing or working down to lower planes or levels the non-printing portions of the blank surface without affecting the plane of the printing portions, whereby is attained an accurately and uniformly type-high print ing-form; mounting the form directly upon the support in the printing-press; inking such printing-form in the printing-press with uniform inking-surfaces; and printing fromsuch form upon paper or similar material by compressing the paper between such printing-surface and an impression device having a hard surface such as is suitable for typographic printing and which surface is uniform and uniformly yielding and resistant at all points, whereby clear and uniform and artistic typographic or relief printing may be achieved without make-ready and with reduced pressure.

at. The improvement in the art of making fine typographic or relief printingforms, which consists in making a blank surface by accurately shaping and sizing and finishing a suitable base to the exact uniform shape and size and finish which will. adapt it when pro vided with a suitable coating to cooperate subsequently as a printing-form with the other parts of the press in the printing; applying to the base a uniformly thick even layer or coating of material adapted to form a relief printing-surface, whereby the characteristics as to size and shape of the surface of the blank are determined by those of the base; and then transforming said blank into a relief printing-surface by removing or Working down the non-printing portionsof the surface of the blank without affecting or destroying the portions of the original surface of the blank which are to form the printing-surface, whereby is attained an accurately and uniformly typehigh relief printing-form adapted to produce clear and artistic typographic or relief printing without make-ready, substantially as described.

5. The improvement in the art of making fine typographic or relief printingforms, which consists in making a blank surface by accurately shaping and sizing and finishing a suitable base to the exact uniform shape and size and finish which will adapt it when provided with a suitable coating to cooperate subsequently as a printing-form with the other parts of the press in the printing; integrally applying to the base by electrodeposition a uniformly thick even layer or coating of material adapted to form a relief printing-surface, whereby the characteristics as to size and shape of the surface of the blank are determined by those of the base; and then transforming said blank into a relief printing-surface by removing or working down the nonprinting portions of the surface of the blank without affecting or destroying the portions of the original surface of the blank which are to form the printing-surface, whereby is attained an accurately and uniformly typehigh relief printing-form adapted to produce clear and artistic typographic or relief printing without make-ready, substantially as described.

6. The improvement in the art of making fine typographic or relief printing forms, which consists in making a blank surface by accurately shaping and sizing and finishing a suitable base to the exact uniform shape an d size and finish which will adapt it when provided with a suitable coating to cooperate subsequently as a printing-form with the other parts of the press in the printing; integrally applying to the base by electrode-position a uniformly thick even layer or coating of zinc, whereby the characteristics as to size and shape of the surface of the blank are determined by those of the base; and then transforming said blank into a relief printing-sun face by removing or working down, as by etching, the non-printing portions of the surface of the blank without affecting or destroying the portions of the original surface of the blank Which are to form the printing-surface, whereby is attained an accurately and uniformly type-high relief printing-form adapted to produce clear and artistic typographic or relief printing without make-ready, substantially as described. a

7. The improvement in the art of preparing blank printing-forms, which consists in accurately sizing and shaping and finishing a suitable base to the exact size and shape and finish which will adapt it when provided with a suitable coating or surface to cooperate subsequently as a printing-surface with other similar printing-forms and the other parts of a multicolor-press in the printing, and applying to the base a uniformly thick even layer or coating of material adapted to form a printing-surface of the character desired, whereby the characteristics of the surface of the blank as to size and shape are determined by those of the base, substantially as described.

8. The improvement in the art of preparing blank printing-forms, which consists in ac curately sizing and shaping and finishing a suitable base to the exact size and shape and finish which will adapt it when provided with a suitable coating or surface to cooperate subsequently as a printing-surface with the other parts of a press in the printing, and applying to the base a uniformly thick even layer or coating of zinc adapted to form a printing-surface of the character desired, whereby the characteristics of the surface of the blank as to size and shape are determined by those of the base, substantially as described.

9. The improvement in the art of preparing blank printing-forms, which consists in accurately sizing and shaping and finishing a suitable base to the exact size and shape and finish which will adapt it when provided with a suitable coating or surface to cooperate subsequently as a printing-surface with other similar printing-forms and the other parts of a multicolor-press in the printing, and applying to the base a uniformly thick even layer or coating of material adapted to form a relief printing-surface, whereby the characteristics of the surface of the blank as to size and shape are determined by those of the base, substantially as described.

10. The improvement in the art of making relief printing-forms which consists in making a suitable base for the printing-form, integrally applying to said base a separate removable coating, making said coating into a relief printing-surface, entirely removing the coating from the base and integrally applying to the base a second removable coating adapted to be made into a relief printing-surface, a fresh and unused surface being thus presented for each design.

11. The improvement in the art of making relief printing-forms which consists in making a suitable base for the printing-form, integrally applying to said base a separate removable coating, making said coating into arelief printing-surface, entirely removing the coating from the base, integrally applying to the base a second removable coating and making said second coating into a relief printing-surface, a fresh and unused surface being thus presented for each design.

12. Theimprovementin the art ofpreparing printing-forms Which consists in taking a printing-form composed of a base and an exteriorly integrally applied removable coating made or adapted to be made into arelief pri nting-surface, entirely removing the coating from the base, and integrally applying to the base a second removable coal ing, and making said second coating into a relief printing-surface, a fresh and unused surface being thus presented for a new design.

13. The ii'nprovement in the art of making relief printing-forms which consists in making a suitable base for the printing-form, integrally applying to said base by chemical deposition a separate removable coating, making said coating into a relief printing-surface, entirely removing the coating from the base and integrally applying to the base by chemical deposition a second removable coating adapted to be made into a relief printing-surface, a fresh and unused surface being thus presented for each design.

14. The improvement in the art of making relief printing-forms which consists in making a suitable base for the printing-form, integrally applying to said base by electrodeposition a separate removable metallic coating, making said coating into a relief printing-surface, entirely removing the coating from the base and integrally applying to the base by electrodeposition a second removable metallic coating adapted to be made into a relief printing-surface, a fresh and unused surface being thus presented for each design.

15. The improvement in the art of making relief printing-forms which consists in making a suitable base for the printing-form, integrally applying to said base a separate removable metallic coating, making said coating into a relief printing-surface, entirely removing the coating from the base and integrally applying to the base a second removable metallic coating adapted to be made into a relief printingsurface, a fresh and unused surface being thus presented for each design.

16. The improvement in the art of making relief printing-forms which consists in making a suitable base for the prin-ting'form, integrally applying to said base a separate removable zinc coating, making said coating into a relief printing'surface, entirely removing the coating from the base and integrally applying to the base a second removable zinc coating adapted to be made into a relief printing-surface, a fresh and unused surface being thus presented for each design.

17. The improvement in the art of making relief printing-forms which consists in making a suitable base for the printing-form, integrally applying to said base by electrodeposition a separate removable zinc coating, making said coating into a relief printingsurface, entirely removing the coating from the base and integrally applying to the base by electrodeposition a second removable zinc coating adapted tobe madeinto a relief printing-surface, a fresh and unused surface being thus presented for each design.

18. The improvement in the art of making relief printing-forms which consists in making a suitable base for the printing-form, integrally applying to said base a separate removable coating of material different from that of the base making said coating into a relief printingsurface, entirely removing the coating from the base and integrally applying to the base a second removable coating of different material from that ofthe base adapted to be made into a relief printingsurface, a fresh and unused surface being thus presented for each design.

19. The improvement in the art of preparing printing-forms which consists in taking a printing-form composed of a base and an exteriorly integrally applied removable metallic coating made or adapted to be made'into a relief printing-surface, entirely removing the coating from the base, and integrally ap plying to the base a second removable metallic coating, and making said second coating into a relief printing-surface, a fresh and unused surface being thus presented for a new design.

20. The improvement in the art.- of preparing printing-forms which consists'in taking a printing-form composed of a base and an exteriorly integrally applied removable metallic coating made or adapted to be made into a relief printing-surface, entirely removing the coating from the base, and integrally ap plying to the base by electrodeposition asec 0nd removable metallic coating and making said second coating into a relief printing-sun face, a fresh and unused. surface being thus presented for a new design.

21. The improvement in the art of preparing printing-forms which consists in taking a printing-form composed of a base and anexteriorly integrally applied removable coating of material different from that of the base and made or adapted to be made into a relief printing-surface, entirely removing the coating from the base, and integrally applying to the base a second removable coating, and making said second coating into a relief printing-surface, afresh and unused surface being thus presented for a new design.

22. The improvement in the art of preparing printing-forms Which consists in making a strengthening-base of predetermined shape and dimensions, integrally applying to said base a separate removable coating of predetermined thickness, making said coating into lief printing-surface, the size of the printingform being determined by the size of the base and a fresh surface presented for each new design.

23. The improvement in the art of preparing printing-forms which consists in making a strengthening-base of predetermined shape and dimensions, integrally applying to said base a separate removable coating of predetermined thickness, making said'coating into a relief printing-surface, entirely removing the coating from the base without substantially affecting the shape or dimensions of the base, integrally applying to the base a second removable coating of predetermined thickness and making said second coating into a relief printing-snrface, the size of the printing-form being determined by the size of the base and a fresh surface presented for each new design.

24. The improvement in the art of preparingprinting-forms which consists in making a strengthening-base of predetermined shape and dimensions, integrally applying to said base by chemical deposition a separate removable coating of predetermined thickness, making said coating into a relief printingsnrface, entirely removing the coating from the base without substantially affecting the shape or dimensions of the base, and integrally applying to the base by chemical deposition a second removable coating of predeterminedthickness adapted to be developed into a relief printing-surface, the size of the printing-form being determined by the size of the base and a fresh surface presented for each new design.

25. The improvement in the art of preparing printing-forms which consists in making a strengthening-base of predetermined shape and dimensions, integrally applying to said base a separate removable metallic coating of predetermined thickness,making said coating into a relief printing-surface, entirely removing the coating from the base without su bstantially affecting the shape or dimensions of the base, and integrally applying to the base a second removable metallic coating of predetermined thickness adapted to be developed into a relief printing-surface, the size of the printing-form being determined by the size of the base an d a fresh surface presented for each new design.

26. The improvement in the art of preparing printing-forms which consists in making a strengthening-base of predetermined shape and dimensions, integrally applying to said base by electrodeposition a separate removable metallic coating of predetermined thickness, making said coating into a relief printing-surface, entirely removing the coating from the base Without substantially affecting the shape or dimensions of the base, and integrally applying to the base by electrodeposition a second removable metallic coating of predetermined thickness adapted to be developed into a relief printing-surface, the size of the printing-form being determined by the size of the base and a fresh surface presented for each new design.

27. The improvement in the art of preparing printing-forms which consists in making a strengthening-base of predetermined shape and dimensions, integrally applying to said base by electrodeposition a separate removable zinc coating of predetermined thickness, making said coating into a relief printingsurface, entirely removing the coating from the base without substantially affecting the shape or dimensions of the base, and integrally applying to the base by electrodeposition a second removable zinc coating of predetermined thickness adapted to be devel* oped into a relief printing-surface, the size of the printing-form being determined by the size of the base and a fresh surface presented for each new design.

28. The improvement in the art of preparing printing-forms which consists in making a strengthening-base of predetermined shape and dimensions, integrally applying to said base a separate removable coating of material different from that of the base and of predetermined thickness, making said coating into a relief printing-surface, entirely removing the coating from the base without substantially affecting the shape or dimensions of the base, and integrally applying to the base a second removable coating of material different from that of the base and of predetermined thickness adapted to be developed into a relief printing-surface, the size of the printing-form being determined by the size of the base and a fresh surface presented for each new design.

29. The improvement in the art of printing which consists in making the strengtheningbase of a printingform of predetermined shape and size, integrally applying to said base a separate removable coating of predetermined thickness, making the said coating into a relief printing-surface, printing the desired edition therefrom, entirely removing the coating from the base without substantially aifecting the shape and size of the base, integrally applying to the base a second removable coating of predetermined thickness, making said second coating into a relief printing-surface and printing the desired edition therefrom and so on, the size of successive printing-forms being determined by the size of the base and a fresh surface presented for each design.

30. The improvement in the art of printing which consists in making the strengtheningbase of a printing-form of predetermined shape and size, integrally applying to said base a separate removable coating of predetermined thickness, making the said coating into a printing-surface of the character desired, printing the desired edition therefrom, entirely removing the coating from the base without substantially affecting the shape and size of the base, integrally'applying to the base a second removable coating of the same predetermined thickness asthe previous coating, making said second coating into a printing-surface of the characterdesired and printing a second color or design therefrom upon the edition printed by the previous printingsurface, whereby accurate register of the designs is attained, the size of the successive printing-surfaces being determined by the size of the permanent base.

31. The improvement in the art of printing which consists in making the strengtheningbase of a printing-form of predetermined shape and size, integrally applying to said base a separate removable coating of predetermined thickness, making the said coating into a printing-surface of the character desired, placing said printing-surface in a predetermined seat in a press and printing the desired edition therefrom, entirely removing the coating from the base Without substantially affecting the shape and size of the base, integrally applying to the base a second removable coating of the same predetermined thickness as the previous coating, making said second coating into a printing-surface of the character desired, placing said second printing-surface in the same predetermined seat in the press that carried the former printing-surface, and printing a second color or design therefrom upon the edition printed by the previous printing-surface, whereby accurate register of the designs is attained, the size of the successive printing-surfaces being determined by the size of the permanent base.

32. The improvement in the art of printing which consists in making the strengthening base of a printing form of predetermined shape and size, integrally applying to said base a separate removable coating of predetermined thickness, transferring a design to said coating in accurate predetermined position bot-h longitudinally and transversely, making the said coating into a printing-surface of the character desired, placing said printing-surface in a predetermined seat in a press and printing the desired edition therefrom, entirely removing the coating from the base Without substantially affectin g the shape and size of the base, integrally applying to the base a second removable coating of the same predetermined thickness as the previous coating, transferring a design to said second coating in accurate predetermined position both longitudinally and transversely, making said second coating into a printingsurface of the character desired, placing said second printing-surface in the same predetermined seat that carried the former printing-surface and printing a second color or design therefrom upon the edition printed by the previous printing-surface, Wherebyaccurate register of the designs is attained, the size of the successive printing-surfaces being determined by the size of the permanent base.

33. The improvement in the art of printing which consists in making the strengthening base of a printing-form of predetermined shape and size, integrallyapplying to said base by electrodeposition a separate removable metallic coating of predetermined thickness, making the said coating into a relief printing-surface, printing the desired edition therefrom, en tirely removing the coating from the base without substantially aifecting the shape and size of the base, integrally applying to the base by electrodeposition a second removable metallic coating of predetermined thickness, making said second coating into a relief printing-surface and printing the desired edition therefrom and so on, the size of successive printing-forms being determined by the size of the base and a fresh surface presented for each design.

34. The improvement in the art of multicolor-printing which consists in preparing a series of printing-forms by first preparing a series of bases of predetermined shape and size fixed so as to adapt the forms to cooperate With each other and the other parts of the press and print in register, integrally applying to said bases separate removable coatings of predetermined thickness, making said coatings into relief printing-surfaces adapted to register in printing the various colors of the design, printing the desired edition therefrom in register, removing the coatings from the series of bases without substantially affecting the shape and size of the bases, integrally applying to said bases second removable coatings of predetermined thickness, making said second coatings into relief printing-surfaces adapted to register in printing the various colors of a design, printing the desired edition therefrom and so on, whereby accurate register in the printingis attained, the size of each series and of successive series of printing-forms being determined by the size of the permanent bases.

35. The improvement in the art of multicolor-printing which consists in preparing a series of printing-forms by first preparing a series of bases of the same predetermined shape and size fixed so as to adapt the forms to cooperate with each other and the other parts of the press and print in register, integrally applying to said bases separate removable coatings of the same predetermined thickness, making said coatings into relief printing-surfaces adapted to register in printing the various colors of the design, printing the desired edition therefrom in register, removing the coatings from the series of bases Without substantially affecting the shape and size of the bases, integrally applying to said bases second removable coatings of the same predetermined thickness, making said second coatings into relief printing-surfaces adapted to register in printing the various colors of a design, printing the desired edition therefrom and so on, whereby the proper shape and size of printing-form for exact register and proper printing in the press having been once accurately attained is permanently maintained throughout the subsequent printing operations.

36. The improvement in the art of multicolor-printing which consists in preparing a series of printing-forms by first preparing a series of bases of predetermined shape and size fixed so as to adapt the forms to cooperate With each other and the other parts of the press and print in register, integrally applying to said bases by electrodeposition separate removable metallic coatings of predetermined thickness, making said coatings into relief printing-surfaces adapted to register in printing the various colors of the design, printing the desired edition therefrom in register, removing the coatings from the series of bases Without substantially affecting the shape and size of the bases, integrallyapplying to said bases by electrodeposition second removable metallic coatings of predetermined thickness, making said second coatings into relief printing-surfaces adapted to register in printing the various colors of a design, printing the desired edition therefrom and so on, whereby accurate register in the printing is attained, the size of each series and of successive series of printing-forms being determined by the size of the permanent bases.

37. The improvement in the art of multicolor-printing which consists in preparing a series of printing-forms by first preparing a series of bases of the same predetermined shape and size fixed so as to adapt the forms to cooperate with each other and the other parts of the press and print in register, in tegrally applying to said bases by electrodeposition separate removable metallic coatings of the same predetermined thickness, making said coatings into relief printing-s11 rfaces adapted to register in printing the various colors of the design, printing the desired edition therefrom in register, removing the coatings from the series of bases Without substantially alfecting the shape and size of the bases, integrally applying to said bases by electrodeposition second removable metallic coatings of the same predetermined thickness, making said second coatings into relief printing-surfaces adapted to register in printing the various colors of a design, printing the desired edition therefrom and so on,\vhereby the proper shape and size of printing-form for exact register and proper printing in the press having been once accurately attained is permanently maintained throughout the subsequent printing operations.

38. Theimprove mentin the art of fine in tilticolor typographic or relief printing, which consists in constructing a series of blank surfaces by accurately sizing and shaping and finishing each one of them to the exact size and shape and finish desired in the printingsurfaces, thereby accurately and exactly whereby is attained a series of accurately and I uniformly type-high printing-forms; inking such printing-forms in the printing-press with aseries of uniform inking-surfaces; and printing from such forms upon paper or similar material and in approximately instantaneous succession by com pressing the paper between such printing-surfaces in series and a common impression device-having a hard surface such is suitable for typographic printing and which surface is uniform and uniformly yielding and resistant at all points, whereby clear and uniform and artistic multicolor typographic or relief printingmay be achieved without make-ready and with reduced pressure and economically.

39. 'lheimprovem'ent in the art of multicolor typographic or relief-plate printing, which consists in constructing a series of identically-curved circumferentially-continuous blank surfaces by accurately sizing and shaping and finishing them all to the one and the same exact size and shape and finish de sired in the printing-surfaces, thereby accurately and exactly adapting the surfaces to cooperate subsequently as printing-surfaces with the other parts of the printing-press in the printing; etching out or otherwise suitably removing or working down the nonprinting portions of the blank surfaces without affecting the printing portions, whereby is attained a series of curved circumferentially-continuous printing-forms, the printing portions of whose surfaces are accurately and uniformly type-high; inking such printing-forms in the printingpress with a series of uniform inking-surfaces, and printing from such printing-forms upon paper or similar material in approximately instantaneous succession by compressing the paper between' such printing-surfaces in series and a central impression-drum having a hard surface such as is suitable for typographic printing and which surface is uniform and uniformly yielding and resistant at all points, whereby clear and uniform and artistic multicolor typographic or relief printing may be'achieved without make-ready and with reduced pressure and economically.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDWARD HETT.

Witnesses:

EDWIN SEGER, GEO. W. MILLS, J r. 

